1. March is known as the windy month. Which of the following phrases best fits your March so far...'throw caution to the wind', 'three sheets to the wind', 'run like the wind', or 'see which way the wind blows'?throw caution to the wind--never been one to take risks much...three sheets to the wind--don't drink very often, can't be me...run like the wind--the only time that would happen at my age in ANY MONTH is if I would be chased by someone or some thing...don't see that happenin'...see which way the wind blows--it's like just 'wait and see, then take action. So, guess that'll be more me than the other idioms. PS...sometimes the use of Beano helps. Sorry, couldn't resist. Besides, that's not an option this week; breaking wind.

2. Your favorite green food? Your favorite dish made with your favorite green food? We have tossed salad most every night. So it'd have to be a combination of green foods, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, diced green zucchini, fresh spinach leaves, kale, iceberg lettuce with other veggies of different colors.

3. Ever been locked out of your home-car-office-anywhere? Do tell! Our garage!!! When the power is off and we're out and about...can't get the door to open 'til the power comes back on. Have to go into the house, unlock everything and open it manually.

4. Yoda, Kermit, Shrek, The Wicked Witch of the West, Oscar the Grouch, The Grinch, or Mike Wasowski (Monsters Inc.)...of the green characters listed, which one's your favorite and why? Wicked Witch of the West. I collect witches. And in the book by McGuire, her name happens to be Elphaba!!-"I've always been green, and no I didn't chew grass as a child." Yoda would come in second on my list of 'favorites'...he's so wise:-"Do or do not. There is no try!"
5. "The first task of a leader is to keep hope alive."~Joe Batten Do you agree? Why or why not? I really can't say. I think it would depend on the leader, and what/whom is being lead!! Sometimes it would suffice, other times...well, scare tactics work. Seriously it just depends!

6. Share a favorite song with an emotion in it's title. I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU...but only when it's performed by the late Whitney Houston.

7. What's a road trip you'd like to take? We have one planned this Spring. We're gonna just take it one day at a time and go where we choose to go each day. No itinerary or schedule, just one mile at a time and see some new things. Texas is a big state; we're gonna remain within its boundaries.

8. Insert your own random thought here. After mentioning the novel I finished, Lincoln Deception, Bud and I finally watched the 2012/2013 drama, Lincoln, starring Daniel Day Lewis. I was impressed with the likeness of Mr. Lewis' portrayal of Abraham Lincoln, and Sally Fields and "Madame President" Mary Todd Lincoln. But I can't say too much about the movie context. Sure, it was good, and it was entertaining. I especially enjoyed the debates in the house ---back then, they WORKED for their money, unlike the idiots Congress we see today. But thing is, at least for me, with the characters and celebrities playing the historical figures, we hardly knew who they were throughout the first half. After about a couple of hours into the movie, then and only then were 'names' shown as closed captioning! By that time, I was quite frustrated. I blame it all on Steven Spielberg. Oh, and the ending? If I were director, I would've faded to black when Mr. Lincoln said his last words and leaving, walking through the hallway, readying to attend Ford's Theater's play on the fateful evening...

LINCOLN "Am I in trouble?"

WILLIAM SLADE "No, sir."

LINCOLN "Thank you, Mr. Slade."

Slade hands Lincoln his gloves as Colfax and Ashley drain
their drinks and rise.

LINCOLN "I suppose it's time to go, though I would rather stay."

He leaves the room.

On the way out, Lincoln tosses the gloves on a side table.
Slade grabs them, considers chasing after Lincoln, then
thinks better of it. He walks back towards the office. Then
some strange feeling stops him, and he turns around again.
Lincoln is walking away, past the petitioners' chairs, down
the empty hallway.

Here's where I think the movie should've ended...

Slade watches till Lincoln turns the corner, and he's gone.

Instead there is another 10-15 minutes of what we all know happened...the assassination....plus added a flashback of Lincoln's speech. Unnecessary in my opinion.

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Aye Aye Anni, from Wiki - The Northern Wheatear is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in open stony country in Europe and Asia with footholds in northeastern CANADA and GREENLAND as well as in northwestern CANADA and ALASKA. All birds winter in Africa.

Some Wheatears I see in the next few weeks will be crossing the Atlantic Ocean and heading to Canada and Greenland but i don't know if the Wheatear occurs as far south as Texas. Good luck with the research which should tell you how the bird supposedly acquired got its fun name.

no gator eyes showing for me... i love the kitten eyes... and pelicans are my favorite of all birds, so love that one. i had Lincoln on DVR and we tried to watch it last night and after the first 15 minutes deleted it. but they did do a great job of making him look like Lincoln.

Well, you must know that I love the kitties, Winston and Tahoe, better than the birds! Sorry - cat lady that I am! I agree with you on the Lincoln movie. I wasn't impressed, and was put off by the ending (which we all know, anyway!).

A good Probiotic will pretty much eliminate the need for Beano ... I'm surprised more people didn't comment on your inablility to resist. ... but, like you, I couldn't resist :) Your Texas eyes are great except I couldn't find any in the last picture ... pink eye is not a good thing, so I guess I should be glad it is just flowers. Your Hodge Podge is always intelligent and humorous ... I love all of them and as for green ... I love all green vegies so take your pick. I haven't seen the LIncoln movie yet ... My husband likes to wait until they come out on DVD then we watch at home (he falls in the hermit category) so now I will have to look at it with your thoughts in mind and see what I think. Great post, as always, Annie.

Pink Eye? Oh my goodness you had me going there for a minute. Made me laugh. LOL on the probiotic. I guess most just don't read my entire blog and babbling on like I do. Yes, when you DO watch the movie [it is on DVD now]...let me know what you think.

Dearest Anni;Good Morning from Japan. Oh, the eyes from Texas♪♪♪♪ I thought your love for the birds (and nature) really is here in this post. Beautiful eyes and I love the lyrics.So, you lived Texas before right (?), I wish I could visit and see there!!!

Sending you Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my dear friend in America, xoxo Miyako*

I liked the pink flower ... and road trips -- without real restraints, doing your own thing each day, go with the flow, ENJOY, see new scenery, have coffee-stops, pull into a new motel when it works late in the afternoon -------so nice to do

When I lived in Dallas, we used to go to a lot of Longhorn games. Gave us something to do on the weekend. Have you been up to LBJ's ranch? There are tons of wildflower fields. I used to be a property claims adjuster with a home office in Alabama, so if the damage was in Texas they sent me. I don't think they understand how big the state really is. I spent a lot of time in the Hill Country. Loved those drives. Beautiful birds. I especially enjoyed seeing the brown pelican.

Yep, most people don't realize that it actually takes two days of driving to get through the state! Well, at least 16 hours of driving straight through!!! And the Hill Country is such a pretty area of the state...any time of year.

In all honesty, when I don't make salads for our dinner, I think all night there is something missing. I'm addicted in a way I guess. Thanks for the positive commenting all the time April. I really appreciate it.

Thank you for The Wicked Witch of the West’s name! I love trivia notes. :)

You should be a director, Anni. I like the artistic effect of fading to black when the viewer knows what’s happening and can’t stop it. Modern production goes beyond what should be the end of a movie giving up art for shock value.

Fresh green peas carefully slipped out of their little pods, first veggie I ever handled as a child at age 4 and still enjoy peas, while many others do not, it just leaves more for me ;) Your banner image is so stunning, I really love that and all of your shares, always a fun visit~

...thanks Mary. I too like peas...frozen, fresh, canned...pea soup, pea salad...any way they're served, I'll eat them. I like how you think...if no one else likes 'em...all the more for me. Yes indeed.

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